Organizations use computer-based systems to controls some aspects of supplying wares. For example, a supply chain management system can be used to plan and/or execute the manufacture or procurement of goods that are to be sold to customers. Such systems can allow certain aspects of the process to be scheduled and specified, such as the amount of goods needed, when the delivery should take place, what machinery or other resources are to be used, to name a few examples.
Some systems have separate planning components. For example, some products from SAP AG include a Materials Requirement Planning component that can be used to plan the requirements for one or more materials, such as a raw material or a product. The output of a planning component can be based on forecasts of what future demands will be, and the plan can then be used to organize, analyze and/or execute operations in the organizations. For example, a plan can be laid out ahead in time, and more specific requirements such as sales orders can be added to the plan to replace parts thereof as they become available.